Blessing of buildings at St Patrick's Pakenham 

Blessing Buildings at

St Patrick’s Primary School, Pakenham

May 2024

Staff and students at St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School at Pakenham celebrated the Blessing and official opening of two refurbished buildings which have created additional learning and collaborative spaces for staff and students to thrive.

Parish Priest, Fr Janeesh Jose officially Blessed and opened the refurbished facilities. He was joined by Senator Jess Walsh - Federal Labor Senator for Victoria who officially opened the new facilities. Also attending was Mr Paul Velten - Director of Catholic Education for Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Limited (DOSCEL), Mrs Megan Escalante - Principal, along with staff, students, invited guests, and friends of the school and parish community.

The Stage 1 project of the School’s Masterplan re-development involved refurbishment of two school buildings comprising of general learning areas, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics space, multiple outdoor learning areas, staff and student amenities, and a roof replacement.

Principal, Mrs Megan Escalante said the project had significantly enhanced teaching and learning to meet the needs of students and staff.

“The project has been transformative in providing contemporary learning spaces that are inviting, light-filled and adaptable to inspire learning and provide a collaborative environment for students and staff alike. The new facilities also reflect our Catholic identity and provide a faith-filled environment for students to flourish.”

Director of Catholic Education for the Diocese of Sale, Mr Velten, said it was wonderful to see Catholic education growing in the south-east suburbs.

“These new facilities represent Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Limited’s (DOSCEL) ongoing commitment to providing high quality learning and teaching environments and investment in school communities.

“By creating modern, engaging learning areas and updating facilities for students and staff, our Catholic schools are promoting excellence in learning where students can grow and thrive in a faith-filled learning environment.”      

The $1.96 million Stage 1 Learning Block refurbishment was principally funded through a $1million grant from the Australian Government under the Capital Grants Program (CGP) and a $960,000 loan from the Capital Development Fund (CDF)

Mr Velten thanked the Australian Government and the CDF for their support of the project.

About St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School

St Patrick's Catholic Primary School has a long and rich history having provided Catholic education in Pakenham since the 1850s and has been located on its current site since 1866. The school has an enrolment of around 350 students, many from diverse cultural backgrounds.

St Patrick’s strives to provide a welcoming, compassionate, and co-operative Catholic learning community that works towards developing each child’s potential. Value is placed on the uniqueness of each child and excellence is encouraged from each, according to their ability and potential. Students and families of all backgrounds and faiths are welcome at St Patrick’s Primary School.

Media Inquiries:

Media and Communications Adviser

Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Limited

0417 534 232